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Shoulda Known Better

D.C. judge sentences ex-Rep. Jackson to two and a half years in prison.

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Aug. 15, 2013, 7:18 a.m.

Former Rep. Jesse Jack­son Jr. (D) was sen­tenced to 2 1/2 years in pris­on for steal­ing $750,000 from his cam­paign ac­count, while his wife, former Chica­go Ald. Sandi Jack­son (D), was sen­tenced to one year in jail for fil­ing false tax re­turns. “U.S. Dis­trict Judge Amy Ber­man Jack­son took the un­usu­al step of al­low­ing the Jack­sons — par­ents of a 13 year old and 9 year old — to stag­ger their sen­tences. And in one of the more sur­real mo­ments of the pro­ceed­ings, the judge re­cessed to al­low hus­band and wife to con­fer over who would go to pris­on first. It was de­term­ined to be Jesse Jack­son, who will re­port around Nov. 1.”

Ber­man “re­jec­ted Jack­son Jr.’s men­tal health is­sues as a de­fense say­ing that his string of ac­com­plish­ments in life — propped up by a polit­ic­al fam­ily dyn­asty — ‘points to only one con­clu­sion, and that is that you knew bet­ter.’” Jack­son served in Con­gress for 17 years be­fore resign­ing in Novem­ber. (Chica­go Sun-Times)— Ju­lie So­bel